The National Labour Conference and Social Dialogue 2026 officially opened as part of Sierra Leone’s May Day celebrations, bring together government officials, labour unions, employers, development partners, and stakeholders to discuss the future of work in the country.
Delivering the keynote address, the Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, highlighted the theme of the conference, “Challenges and Opportunities of Decent Work in the Digital Era,” describing it as timely as digital technologies continue transforming economies globally.
Vice President Juldeh Jalloh noted that while digital platforms, mobile money, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and remote work presented significant opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation, Sierra Leone still faced major challenges, including limited digital infrastructure, high connectivity costs, unreliable electricity, and a widening urban-rural digital divide.
He emphasized that many Sierra Leoneans particularly youth and women remained in the informal economy, where access to fair wages, social protection, and safe working conditions remained limited. He called for targeted investments in digital skills training, affordable internet access, financial inclusion, and entrepreneurship support to ensure the country’s digital transition creates decent work opportunities for all.
The Vice President also outlined government efforts to boost economic growth and employment under the Big Five Game Changer agenda. Key priorities, he said, included road and bridge construction to improve market access, energy expansion through the Mission 300 initiative aimed at increasing electricity access to 80 percent by 2030, and support for local manufacturing and import substitution.
He referenced the opening of a new flour mill factory as an example of ongoing industrial development.
About the Author
